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Oral care device

Oral care device description/claims

The present invention relates to an oral care device supplying an electric current to an oral cavity for removal of tooth plaque.

Japanese patent publication No. 9-140453 discloses an electric toothbrush configured to flow an electric current to teeth for removal of tooth plaque. The toothbrush has a handle and a brush head extending from the handle. The handle is provided with a touch electrode for contact with a user's hand, while the brush head is provided with a conductor held in an electrical contact with a brush. A battery is included in the handle to give a potential difference between the touch electrode and the conductor so as to flow an electric current to the oral cavity through a user's body for removing the tooth plaque. The touch electrode is made of a metal and is exposed on the exterior of the handle for electrical contact with the user's hand. During a prolonged use, however, the metal-made touch electrode suffers from elution of metal ions or corrosion, which might be somewhat harmful or deteriorate the appearance of the toothbrush, or even fail to flow the current consistently.

In view of the above problem, the present invention has been accomplished to provide an oral care device of which touch electrode is prevented from elution or corrosion for prolonged use without deterioration of the appearance and performance. The oral care device in accordance with the present invention includes a handle provided with a touch electrode for contact with a user's hand, a brush head extending from the handle and carrying a brush configured to be placed into an oral cavity of the user. The brush head is provided with a negative brush electrode disposed adjacent the brush and being configured to come into electrical contact with portions or substances in the oral cavity. A power source is accommodated within the handle to apply a voltage difference between the touch electrode and the brush electrode in order to flow a current within the oral cavity. The touch electrode is made of a non-metal material filled with carbon filaments. Accordingly, the touch electrode is free from any metal elution or corrosion while it is in contact with the user's hand to flow the current, which assure to keep the oral care device in good appearance and performance over a prolonged use.

Most preferably, the touch electrode is charged positive with respect to the brush electrode to charge the user's teeth positive, thereby attracting negative ions to the surface of the teeth for effectively decomposing and removing plaque therefrom. In this instance, the brush electrode is charged negative and is well prevented from elution in the oral cavity even when it is made of a metallic material.

Preferably, the handle is configured to have a water-tight interior space within which the power source is disposed together with terminals respectively for electrical connection with said brush electrode and said touch electrode. The touch electrode is configured to have a portion which extends continuously into the interior space for electrical contact with a corresponding one of the terminals. Thus, the touch electrode can be held in direct electrical contact with the corresponding terminal, while the electrical connection can be concealed within the handle to be water-proofed.

In this connection, the touch electrode is preferred to be molded as an integral part of the handle so that the handle can be easily shaped into a water-tight structure. Also with the integral molding, the handle can be free from any noticeable gap around the touch electrode, eliminating a possibility that any ionized material is trapped in the gap and therefore keeping the handle fee from contamination of the ionized material and associated lowering of the current flow from the touch electrode.

The touch electrode may be composed of a non-electrically conductive matrix within which said carbon filaments are dispersed. The touch electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding terminal by means of an electrically conductive adhesive. In this instance, the adhesive can permeate over the surface the conductive matrix for successful contact with the carbon fibers, thereby assuring a good electrical interconnection. Preferably, the adhesive is prepared in the form of a tap for easy connection of the touch electrode to the terminal. A screw may be used in combination with the tape to fasten the touch electrode to the terminal. In this case, the screw head is disposed in a recess formed in the outer surface of the touch electrode, and is concealed therein by a cap fitted in the recess.

Alternatively, the touch electrode may be electrically connected to the corresponding terminal by means of the screw without the use of the adhesive. In this instance, the tightening of the screw develops a force of squeezing the carbon fibers for electrical contact with the terminal, thereby assuring reliable electrical connection between the touch electrode and the terminal. Also in this case, the touch electrode may be formed with a recess for concealing therein the screw head.

These and still other advantageous features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of an oral care device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of an oral care device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of an oral care device in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial section of an oral care device in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5C are enlarged sectional views respectively illustrating aspects of the above embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a partial section of an oral care device in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating an electrical connection between a touch electrode and a corresponding terminal of the above embodiment;

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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